The substantiation of genocide in Gaza, with Wikipedia and Francesca Albanese
On domicide, urbicide, and ecocide.
Friends—
As we enter the 58th week since the October 7 attacks and the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, word has spread that Wikipedia editors added the atrocities in Gaza to their list of genocides. What began as a page titled Genocide Allegations in the 2023 Israeli Assault on Gaza now simply reads Gaza Genocide. The decision marks the end of a heated debate among editors and contributors that has been ongoing for months.
The UN Human Rights Office reported on Friday that two-thirds of those killed in Gaza were women and children, condemning the systematic violation of fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. This comes just weeks after Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, published her latest report, in which she argues that genocide, while a complex crime, “should be seen as integral and instrumental to the aim of full Israeli colonization of Palestinian land, aimed at removing as many Palestinians as possible.”
“As Israeli leaders promised, Gaza has been made unfit for human life.”
Following up on her report from March 2024, Albanese describes how “aid distribution sites, tents, hospitals, schools, and markets have been repeatedly attacked through the indiscriminate use of aerial and sniper fire.” Albanese:
“Systematic attacks on Gaza food sovereignty indicate an intent to destroy its population through starvation. Israel has destroyed agricultural land and reservoirs and attacked distribution centres, coordination teams and aid convoys. Hungry crowds waiting for food have been massacred. […] In August 2024, the Finance Minister of Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, stated that starving the entire Gaza population was ‘justified and moral’, even if 2 million people consequently died.”
“The magnitude of destruction in Gaza has prompted allegations of domicide, urbicide, scholasticide, medicide, cultural genocide and ecocide.”
When Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide, he defined it not solely as mass killings—but as a coordinated plan to dismantle the foundations of a group’s life, aiming to erase the group itself. His definition became the basis of the Genocide Convention. Albanese, in her recent work, further illustrates Lemkin’s definition in action:
“The magnitude of destruction in Gaza has prompted allegations of domicide, urbicide, scholasticide, medicide, cultural genocide and ecocide. Nearly million tons of debris, including unexploded ordnance and human remains, contaminate the ecosystem. More than temporary waste sites and tons of waste, untreated wastewater, and sewage overflow contribute to the spread of diseases such as hepatitis A, respiratory infections, diarrhea, and skin diseases. As Israeli leaders promised, Gaza has been made unfit for human life.”
Nearly 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including 17,000 children. It’s beyond time for the US and European governments to stop supporting these atrocities with weapons, money, and influence.
Notes and further reading:
Word has spread that Wikipedia editors added the atrocities in Gaza to their list of genocides. (Haaretz)
The UN Human Rights Office reported that two-thirds of those killed in Gaza were women and children. (OHCHR)
Read the full Albanese report here (United Nations General Assembly)
Raphael Lemkin's relevance for Gaza and why people tend to ignore genocides (The European on Substack)
